How to Share Your Calendar (Google, Outlook, iPhone)
Someone asks “when are you free?” and you think: I should just share my calendar. But then you realize you don’t want them seeing your dentist appointment, your therapy session, or that 4pm block labeled “decompression time.”
Sharing your calendar is useful — but most people want to share their availability, not their entire schedule. Here’s how to do both, on every major platform.
How to Share Your Calendar on Google Calendar
Share with specific people
- Open Google Calendar on your computer
- On the left sidebar, hover over the calendar you want to share
- Click the three dots (⋮) next to the calendar name
- Click Settings and sharing
- Scroll to Share with specific people
- Click Add people or groups
- Enter their email address
- Choose the permission level:
- See only free/busy — they see when you’re available but not event details
- See all event details — they see everything
- Make changes to events — they can edit your events
- Make changes and manage sharing — full access
- Click Send
They’ll get an email with a link to add your calendar to theirs.
Make your calendar public
If you want anyone with the link to see your calendar (useful for office hours or public event schedules):
- Go to Settings and sharing for the calendar
- Under Access permissions for events, check Make available to public
- Choose between See only free/busy or See all event details
- Click Get shareable link to copy a link you can send to anyone
Be careful with this one. Public means public — anyone with the link can see your calendar.
Share from the Google Calendar mobile app
You can’t change sharing settings from the Google Calendar mobile app. You’ll need to use a computer, or open calendar.google.com in your phone’s browser and switch to desktop mode.
How to Share Your Calendar in Outlook
Share in Outlook desktop (Windows)
- Open Outlook and go to your Calendar view
- Click Share Calendar in the top ribbon (under the Home tab)
- Choose which calendar to share
- Click Add to select recipients
- Choose the permission level:
- Can view when I’m busy — free/busy only
- Can view titles and locations — limited details
- Can view all details — everything
- Can edit — they can modify your events
- Click Send
Share in Outlook on the web (Office 365)
- Go to outlook.office.com and open Calendar
- Click Share in the top-right corner
- Enter the person’s name or email
- Choose their permission level
- Click Share
Share in the new Outlook for Mac
- Open Calendar in Outlook
- Right-click the calendar in the sidebar
- Select Sharing Permissions
- Add the person and set their access level
Check someone’s availability in Outlook (without sharing)
If you’re in the same organization, you can already see coworkers’ free/busy status without them sharing anything. When you create a new meeting and add attendees, Outlook’s Scheduling Assistant shows everyone’s availability automatically.
How to Share Your Calendar on iPhone
Share an iCloud calendar
- Open the Calendar app
- Tap Calendars at the bottom
- Tap the info button (ⓘ) next to the calendar you want to share
- Tap Add Person
- Enter their email address and tap Add
- They’ll get an invitation to subscribe to your calendar
Shared iCloud calendars let the other person see all event details. There’s no free/busy-only option with iCloud sharing.
Share a Google Calendar from iPhone
If you use Google Calendar on your iPhone, you can’t manage sharing from the Apple Calendar app. You’ll need to:
- Open Safari and go to calendar.google.com
- Request the desktop site (tap Aa in the address bar → Request Desktop Website)
- Follow the Google Calendar sharing steps above
Share an Outlook calendar from iPhone
Open the Outlook app on your iPhone, but calendar sharing settings need to be managed from Outlook on the web or desktop. The mobile app doesn’t support changing share permissions.
The Problem With Sharing Your Whole Calendar
Every method above has the same tradeoff: you’re either sharing too much or too little.
Free/busy view tells them when you’re available but not why you’re busy. They still can’t book a time — they have to message you to confirm.
Full details view lets them see everything. Your 1:1 with your manager. Your “no meetings” focus blocks. Your kid’s school pickup. Most people don’t want colleagues or clients seeing all of that.
And in every case, the other person still has to manually cross-reference your calendar with theirs, find overlapping open times, and then message you to propose one. It’s a lot of steps just to book a 30-minute call. You could also skip sharing entirely and just send your availability directly.
Share Your Availability Without Sharing Your Calendar
Instead of sharing your whole calendar, you can share just your availability — and let the other person book directly.
With Carly, you CC carly@usecarly.com on any email where you’re trying to schedule a meeting. Carly checks your calendar, proposes times when you’re actually free, and handles the back-and-forth:
From: carly@usecarly.com To: jamie@designstudio.co CC: you@yourcompany.com Subject: Re: Catch up this week?
Here are some times that work — just click one to book:
- Wednesday, March 5 at 10:00 AM EST
- Thursday, March 6 at 2:00 PM EST
- Friday, March 7 at 11:30 AM EST
The other person picks a time, and the meeting lands on both calendars. No one had to share a calendar. No one had to cross-reference schedules. No one saw your dentist appointment.
Carly works with Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCloud — whatever you use. The other person doesn’t need Carly or any special tool. They just reply to the email (or click a booking link).
If you’re sharing your calendar just so people can find a time to meet, there’s a simpler way. Try Carly free →
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